Prince Harry: Once more unto the breach?

By Peter Wilkinson, CNN

updated 9:19 AM EST, Wed February 6, 2013

Prince Harry, or Capt. Wales as he is known in the British Army, wears a monocle gun sight as he sits in the front seat of an Apache helicopter on December 12, 2012. Harry was stationed at the British-controlled Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan from September 2012 until January 2013.

Harry sits inside an Apache helicopter at Camp Bastion on October 31, 2012.

Harry runs from the VHR (very high readiness) tent to scramble his Apache helicopter with other pilots during a 12-hour shift at Camp Bastion on November 30, 2012.

Harry's crash helmet sits in the cockpit of an Apache helicopter on November 1, 2012.

London (CNN) -- Henry V rallies his troops in William Shakespeare's play of the same name before the Battle of Agincourt with these words: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more... When the blast of war blows in our ears then initiate the action of the tiger. Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood."

King Henry's call to action is cited as one of the most motivational speeches in history, and the British Army would no doubt have hoped for similarly inspiring words and good PR from his namesake descendant, Prince Harry, in interviews timed to coincide with his departure from Afghanistan.

But as the prince recalled the "taste of blood" in his mouth as he waited to attack Taliban insurgents from his helicopter gunship, his comments appear to have stirred up as much mockery and controversy as sympathy.

Prince Harry stands with Princess Diana for the national anthem at the Wales versus Australia match during the 1991 World Cup in Cardiff, Wales, on October 12, 1991.

Princess Diana and Prince Harry are accompanied by family friend Catherine Soames and her son, Harry, during a skiing trip in Lech, Austria, on March 24, 1994.

Princess Diana, from left, Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles gather for the commemorations of VJ Day on August 19, 1995, in London.

Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his son Prince Harry stand for the anthems during the Wales versus Scotland game in Cardiff, Wales, on February 17, 1996.

Left to right: Princes William, Harry and their father Prince Charles wait in front of the Westminster Abbey in London after the funeral ceremony of Diana Princess of Wales on September 6, 1997.

Prince Harry stands in the Drawing School on May 12, 2003, between two of the works he completed while studying at Eton College. His work involves a mixture of painting and printing, and reflects his habit of using animals as his starting point.

Prince Harry takes part in the Wall Game at Eton College in March 2003.

The youngest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry makes a slice of toast in his house kitchen situated in the house library, which is the preserve of the senior House prefects, in March 2003 at Eton College.

Britain's Prince Harry, right, and his father The Prince Of Wales play polo for The BFF/Highgrove Team in a match for The Indian Cavalry Polo Trophy in Tidworth, England, on July 12, 2003.

Prince Harry paints in Eton College's new Drawing Room on May 12, 2003.

A man reads the New York Post newspaper on January 13, 2005, featuring the "Royal Nazi" headline about Prince Harry who attended a fancy dress party wearing a khaki uniform with an armband emblazoned with a swastika.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry share a joke as they watch Prince Charles and his bride Camilla Duchess of Cornwall leave St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, following their marriage blessing on April 9, 2005.

Prince Harry takes part in the Trooping Of New Colours alongside his fellow officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy on June 21, 2005, in Sandhurst, England.

Prince Harry sitting below the turret of his Spartan armored vehicle as he communicates with other units by radio, in the desert in Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan, on February 20, 2008. The 23-year-old, an officer in the Household Cavalry regiment, secretly served for several weeks in the volatile southern province of Helmand.

Princes William and Harry are seen at a Royal Air Force base near Shrewsbury in central England on June 18, 2009.

The British royal family poses for a portrait in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace in London on April 29, 2011.

Prince Harry skis with the Walking with the Wounded team, who have gathered on the island of Spitsbergen, Norway -- situated between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole -- for their last days of preparation before setting off to the North Pole by foot on March 29, 2011.

Best man Prince Harry and Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011.

Prince Harry climbs on board a specially decorated golf buggy as he goes on a tour of Harbour Island in Nassau, Bahamas, on March 4, 2012. The Prince was visiting the Bahamas as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II.

Members of the British royal family wave to the crowds from Buckingham Palace on June 5, 2012, as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Left to right: Carole Coe, Prince Harry and Peter Phillips enjoy the atmosphere as they watch track cycling at the Velodrome on August 7, 2012 at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan as an Army helicopter pilot, the UK military announced on September 7, 2012.

Prince Harry races out from a tent to scramble his Apache with fellow pilots during his 12-hour shift on November 3, 2012, at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Prince Harry served as an Apache helicopter pilot and gunner.

Prince Harry salutes aboard the Australian warship HMAS Leeuwin during the International Fleet Review in Sydney on October 5, 2013.

Prince Harry, Ivan Castro and their fellow adventurers reach the South Pole as part of their Walking With the Wounded charity trek on Friday, December 13, 2013, in Antarctica.

Prince Harry and Prince William help soldiers build a flood wall at Eton End School on February 14 in Datchet, England.

Prince Harry hits a baseball while participating in drills at the Harlem RBI baseball youth development program in New York City on Tuesday, May 14.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; and Prince Harry visit the Tower of London's ceramic poppy installation on Tuesday, August 5. The installation was part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of outbreak of World War I.

Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry look at a mobile phone as they watch the Invictus Games on September 11, 2014, in London.

Prince Harry through the years

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Photos: Prince Harry through the years

2012: Taliban threaten Prince Harry

Prince Harry shows distaste for media

"It's a joy for me. I am one of those people who loves playing Playstation and XBox and so I am good with my thumbs, I like to think that I am quite useful."

In Afghanistan, the media-savvy Taliban seized on the remarks and called Harry a "coward" for only speaking when he was out of danger. "This prince comes and compares this war with his games, PlayStation or whatever he calls it," Zabihullah Mujahid told the Daily Telegraph.

"To describe the war in Afghanistan as a game demeans anyone -- especially a prince, who is supposed to be made of better things."

Even an Afghan parliamentarian admitted Harry's comments could risk damaging relations. Sharifullah Kamawal told the newspaper: "This makes the withdrawal process much faster, because for now half of the people say the foreign forces must stay for longer, but if they say these kind of things then more people will want them to go home."

Prince Harry also appeared to acknowledge that he killed insurgents on his four-month tour of duty in Helmand Province. He said it was sometimes justified to "take a life to save a life. That's what we revolve around, I suppose."

"Our job out here is to make sure the guys are safe on the ground and if that means shooting someone who is shooting at them, then we will do it."

The comments set social media alight, with comments both in favour and critical of the prince. The British tabloids also splashed the story about him across their front pages: The Sun's headline was: "Harry kills Taliban chief: Hero prince in missile strike on commander"

In Britain, the Stop the War Coalition criticized the 28-year-old's comments as "crass" and questioned how he knew those he'd killed were actually members of the Taliban.

"In recent months many civilians have been killed by air strikes. This arrogant and insensitive attitude to killing Afghans, whoever they are, is hardly likely to win hearts and minds -- a supposed aim of the war," said the group's convener Lindsey German.

In the Guardian, one commentator mocked Harry's language. "This is Captain Wales's new incarnation: Killer Captain!" wrote Hadley Freeman.

p>Prince harry is probably the best prince we will ever have.. Fighting for his country and enjoys life and helps others #topLAD— Crimson (@dylcross94) January 29, 2013

p>Prince Harry finds the war in Afghanistan "a joy because it's like his video games". -There's no restart button when you kill somebody.— Sherry (@SherResistance) January 24, 2013

Referring to the occasion when Harry was photographed naked in a Las Vegas hotel room, Freeman added: "During his deployment in 2007-08, Captain Wales spoke of his frustration at not being able to partake in actual action. No more! Now he drops gung-ho aphorisms like Dick Cheney ("Take a life to save a life") and the young chap who only months before was photographed with his fingers in the most curious of places during a game of "strip billiards" in Las Vegas has since placed those same fingers "on the triggers of deadly rockets, missiles and a 30mm cannon."

While many analysts in Britain praised Harry for risking his life to support ground troops in Helmand, one politician questioned the tone of his remarks. Opposition defense spokesman Jim Murphy said: "I'm not going to second guess whether he should or shouldn't have said it.

"He's obviously a young and brave man. He was candid. Perhaps he may have been more candid than the Palace may have wished."

I am one of those people who loves playing Playstation and XBox and so I am good with my thumbs, I like to think that I am quite usefulPrince Harry

In the interviews, Harry said he relished the relative freedom -- largely away from the scrutiny of the world's media -- that serving in the military offered him.

"It's very easy to completely forget about who I am when I am in the army," he told reporters. But he added that he would prefer to have been serving on the ground than as an airman based at Camp Bastion along with 4,000 other British service personnel. "My choice would have been back out on the ground with my regiment," he said.

"For me it's not that normal because I go into the cookhouse and everyone has a good old gawp, and that's one thing that I dislike about being here. Which is probably another reason why I'd love to be out in the PBs [patrol bases], away from it all."

In his interviews the prince makes little attempt at all to hide his antipathy towards the media and the tabloids in particular. "Everyone's guilty for buying the papers...though hopefully no one believes what they read." But after reading the criticism of his own comments, he may want to reflect on another famous line from Shakespeare's "Henry V": "Men of few words are the best men."